A. The city shall have and be given the right to replace or place a meter on a service and to remove the service at any time, and when so doing, the meter shall remain the property of the city. If any meter is out of order or repair, an average charge based on the previous three-month use shall be charged. When any customer whose water service is metered makes a complaint that the water bill for any period has been excessive, the water department shall, upon request, have the meter reread and the water service pipe and plumbing fixtures owned by the city and on the premises inspected for leaks. Should the customer then request that the meter be tested for accuracy, he shall then make a deposit as prescribed below with the city finance director. The customer shall have the privilege of being present when such test is made. In case the test discloses an error of more than three percent of water consumed in favor of the city, the deposit shall be refunded to the customer, a correctly registering meter shall be installed and the customer’s account shall be credited with the excess consumption on the three previous readings. When the test discloses an error of three percent or less in favor of the city, the meter shall be adjusted or an accurate meter shall be installed and the amount deposited will be retained by the water department to cover part of the cost of such test.

B. Before making a test of any water meter, the person requesting such a test shall, at the time of request, make a deposit with the city finance director of the amount charged for such test which shall cover a part of the cost thereof and be as follows: